Many substances are stored and distributed in tube-like enclosures made of varying materials such as metal, plastic, thin film, or other semi-rigid materials that are difficult to manually manipulate. When the substance is squeezed by hand, some of the substance is inevitably left in the tube, resulting in waste. This is because it is hard to consistently and uniformly push out the contents of these tubes using two hands. More unclaimed and wasted substance means the consumer buys more of these substance filled tubes in a more frequent basis. Thereby requiring manufacturers to produce more tubes containing various substances for public consumption. This increases the environmental impact to our planet due to the “over production” of these tubes and their inefficient use.
The inefficient use of these tubes is prevalent amongst a certain group of consumers. The inability to completely extrude all the contents of these tubes is a key problem for the consumer. This is especially the case with children, elderly people, people with disabilities, those who have medical conditions such as diabetes, Parkinson's disease, osteoporosis, joint aches, or situations where people have limited dexterity.
Additionally, substances, such as toothpaste, that are stored in these tubes are usually placed on or around the sink. Usually the tubes are left near the sink in a bathroom, or sometimes in a cup adjacent to toothbrushes. These locations provide a rich environment for bacteria to flourish and makes extracting the contents of the tubes very unsanitary. To address some of these issues, some have developed devices with that goal in mind.
For example one common device used only for dispensing toothpaste in an automatic fashion, uses vacuum technology. This device and its variants, dispense a small portion of toothpaste at a time. It employs an inside chamber where the toothpaste is dispensed, which needs constant cleaning due to the accumulation of toothpaste remnants and dirt. Furthermore, this device is affixed on a wall and cannot be readily relocated. Moreover, this device requires the user to use a lot of energy and effort in order to insert the tube in its proper place before it can dispense the substance. This inevitably provides a barrier for children, people of limited ability to use their hands and fingers to properly install and use this device.
Other devices also exist requiring the flat end of the tube to be placed in a longitudinal side opening of a cylindrical device. The substance inside of the tube is expelled by turning a side knob located at the end of the cylindrical device. This device has its limitations, such as requiring the user to use both hands to operate it. Furthermore, people with limited dexterity still may not be able to turn the knob to activate the mechanism for extruding the substance. Finally, this device is designed to be hanged from its hook that is affixed on a flat surface such as a mirror.
Another device requires placing the end of a tube between two interlocking gear rollers. These interlocking gear rollers have to be held together tightly by using one hand to clasp the extended frames of the device. The device requires holding it in one hand while the other hand turns a key that feeds the tube into and between the two interlocking gear rollers. The combination of clasping the device with one hand and turning the key with the other hand allows the substance of the tube to be extruded. This too has its limitations since it requires two hands to operate the device, the inability to use the device as a stand and therefore making it unsanitary, and requiring the user to exert substantial amount of force on the key. The complicated nature of the device makes it undesirable for children and people of limited dexterity and agility in manipulating their hands and fingers.
Another device requires sliding the flat end of the tube into a thin slit. This device is then pushed up to the opening end of the tube. This manipulation puts pressure from the outside surfaces of the tube material, thereby resulting in moving the substance closer to the opening of the tube and expelling it. This device is a small flat plate with a slit and does not serve as a means to keep the tube on a stand or to store it in a sanitary condition. Furthermore, the user still has to use both hands to operate extruding the contents of the tube. One hand to hold the tube and another to slide the plate over it.
Despite these examples, there exists a long-felt and ongoing need for a new and improved system for dispensing contents of a tube with little effort and manual dexterity, where anyone can use it including children, people with medical conditions or limited dexterity, without wasting residual material left in the tube, with an individual stand or ability to hang it on a wall reducing contamination, where the loading and disposing of the tube is effortless, basic, where various sized tubes and a variety of material used to construct it can be compatible, where the user only uses one hand to extrude the contents, and where the device is also environmentally less impactful because it limits the amount of tubes necessary for production. The substance extruder of this application provides all of those benefits.